The invention relates to a superconducting A/D converter.
Superconducting A/D converters are known from several publications, for example German Patent Documents 33 10 245, 37 38 369, and 36 39 623. In all these devices it is necessary to supply direct current or electrical pulses to the converter. This occurs through metallic conductors as a rule. Since the converters are operated at low temperatures (in cyrostats), the electrical leads also act as heat conductors, resulting in heat losses. In systems with several A/D converters operating simultaneously, electrical couplings can also occur between the individual leads, resulting in power losses in the individual converters.
An object of the present invention is to provide a superconducting A/D converter that functions reliably in a superconducting state within a system composed of several A/D converters operating simultaneously; specifically, it must not lose its superconducting ability.
This goal is achieved according to the invention by the use of optical conductors (light guides) in place of metallic lines to provide inputs to the A/D converter. Such optical conductors are normally made of glass and exhibit very low thermal conductivity. The use of glass fibers prevents coupling between the leads while thermal losses are very low even in a multichannel system.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.